Jiang Bai! That's the One I Took...

The village chief's body was stiff as a board. Upon hearing Jiang Bai's words, he almost reflexively replied, "Okay... okay."

Having vented his anger, Jiang Bai felt much better, and even the eerie atmosphere on the island seemed to have dissipated considerably.

He looked at the village chief and villagers, who were quite frightened by his actions, and forced a reasonably kind smile.

He comforted her, saying, "We've made a fool of ourselves in front of everyone. These idiots in our guild haven't caused you any trouble, have they?"

No, no! Absolutely not!

The village chief shook his head vigorously. He was joking; the man's fierce and menacing appearance from just moments ago was still fresh in his mind, so how could he dare utter a single word of dissent?

"They are all very kind; they are all very helpful mages."

"That's good."

Jiang Bai nodded in satisfaction, then announced in an unquestionable tone,

"From now on, I will be in charge of this task."

Upon hearing that the S-Class Mission he had painstakingly stolen, a mission that could prove his strength, had been so easily snatched away by Jiang Bai with just a few words, Natsu instantly forgot about the burning pain in his buttocks.

He leaped to his feet, shouting urgently, "Wait! Jiang Bai! That's my turn to catch..."

Jiang Bai didn't even bother to turn his head.

He simply raised his finger slightly.

Natsu's body floated uncontrollably into the air, and then began to spin rapidly like a top!

"Waaaaah--"

Amidst Natsu's increasingly distorted screams, he was spun around until he saw stars and foamed at the mouth.

Jiang Bai casually tossed the completely unconscious Natsu into the nearby bushes as if he were throwing away trash.

The whole world became quiet in an instant.

Jiang Bai then turned back to the village chief, who was now completely petrified, and put on that businesslike expression again.

"Village chief, can you tell me the specifics of the commission now?"

This time, the village chief and all the villagers around him stood ramrod straight, like soldiers being inspected.

"Yes, sir!"

The village chief shouted with all his might, and then began to recount the situation on the island in detail.

All the inhabitants of this island are plagued by an ancient curse.

Every time the moon rises, their bodies undergo a mutation, transforming into mindless demonic forms.

To give Jiang Bai and his group a more direct understanding of the situation, the village chief, along with several villagers, even mustered up the courage to demonstrate their "demonized" forms in front of them.

Their bodies began to swell, purple scales grew on their skin, their fingers became sharp, and bat-like wings sprouted from their backs, making them truly ferocious and terrifying.

Jiang Bai observed the changes in these villagers with great interest.

Just kidding, one of his future wives, Mirajane, is practically a demon. Would he be afraid of that?

Gray stood to the side, looking just as curious as a child, even reaching out to touch the villager's rough skin.

Happy flew directly onto the head of a demon villager and curiously tugged at his horns.

Only Lucy, terrified by this sudden turn of events, turned pale and let out a soft scream, shrinking almost completely behind Gray.

"Lucy, you're leaking juice again," Happy complained from mid-air.

"It's sweat! It's sweat!" Lucy retorted loudly, her face flushed.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes.

That single-celled organism with astonishing regenerative abilities— Natsu —stood up unsteadily very quickly.

He shook his still slightly dizzy head and just then witnessed the villagers transforming into demons.

His eyes lit up instantly, and all the fear and pain he had felt earlier vanished.

"Wow! That's so cool!!"

Natsu ran over excitedly and circled around a demon villager as if he were looking at some new and interesting toy.

This stark contrast in reactions left the village chief and the others speechless for a moment.

After explaining the situation, the village chief returned to human form and bowed respectfully to Jiang Bai and the others.

"Gentlemen, it's getting late. Please come with us; we have prepared rooms for you to rest."

The rooms prepared by the villagers were simple, but they were clean enough.

Everyone returned to their rooms. Lucy was on edge the whole way, stealing glances at Jiang Bai was walking in front every now and then, barely daring to breathe.

Jiang Bai's fierce and menacing demeanor just now left a deep psychological scar on her.

In contrast, Natsu and Happy, those two carefree guys, had long forgotten about being beaten and sold out before, and were huddled together, quietly discussing where they should go on an adventure that night.

"Lucy."

Jiang Bai's voice suddenly rang out.

"Ah?!"

Lucy was startled and her body tensed instantly, like a primary school student being called on by the teacher.

"Exist!"

Jiang Bai found her startled and frightened appearance somewhat amusing.

"Am I that scary? I haven't turned into a demon."

Lucy shook her head quickly, like a chick pecking at rice.

But inside, she was screaming: You're way scarier than a demon! Demons can only scare people, but you actually hit people! And you beat them to death!

Jiang Bai, of course, had no idea what she was thinking, and he waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, everyone get some rest. Tomorrow we'll just wander around the island and see if we can find out the cause of the curse."

Jiang Bai was actually too lazy to accept tasks that required him to run around and use his brain to analyze clues.

He prefers missions with clear objectives: find the target, eliminate them, and then collect the money—simple and straightforward.

However, as the only time traveler in this world, Jiang Bai was naturally well aware of the secrets of Galuna Island.

The so-called "Moon Curse" was just a side effect of what Lyon did.

Gray, that single-minded senior brother, was obsessed with surpassing his master and wanted to unseal the calamity demon Deliora, which his master Ur had frozen with his life.

The unsealing requires a ritual called "Moon Drop," and the enormous magical membrane formed by this ritual enveloped the entire island, which in turn affected the memories of the island's native inhabitants.

These villagers, who were originally demons, forgot their true identities and instead believed themselves to be cursed humans.

It was quite a huge misunderstanding.

Jiang Bai leaned against the window, looking at the eerie purple moon outside, a playful smile curving his lips.

However, there's no rush to expose everything.

Since we're already here, we might as well take this opportunity to let that kid Gray face his past and untie the knot in his heart.

He glanced to the side and saw Gray sitting alone by the window, staring blankly at the moon.

Jiang Bai sighed inwardly.

Although in the original story, these demon villagers who regained their memories retained their kind nature and did not cause any major trouble.

But it never hurts to be careful.

He himself wasn't afraid, but his team included Lucy and Happy, who weren't very strong.

To avoid as much trouble as possible is certainly the best outcome.

Lucy: Huh! Am I on the same level as Happy?